The vote on a massive Davis Cup overhaul took place on Thursday and the new proposal earned enough votes to pass. Thus tennis’ annual team competition will look a lot different–and it will start right away in 2019.
Instead of traditional home and away ties throughout each year, almost the entirety of the Davis Cup competition will held a single site with all of the competing teams in November. There will at least be home and away qualifying ties early in each season.
Read more at the Davis Cup website.
Unsurprisingly, many players–past and present–were furious. Here is a snippet of their tweets:
Sometimes it’s more than a game. More than money. Most of my biggest highs and toughest loses came in 5 set epic Davis Cup matches in front of screaming home or away fans. For the ITF to take that away from the next generation of future stars is a disgrace. #SorryDwightDavis pic.twitter.com/7Bx7Zdilcn
— Lleyton Hewitt (@lleytonhewitt) August 17, 2018
Fitting on #NationalTellAJokeDay that #daviscupvote was passed in favour of radical change. Led by a footballer and a billionaire. 😔🤷♂️ @ITF_Tennis #daviscup
— John Millman (@johnhmillman) August 16, 2018
With the #DavisCupVote done, and the competition to change forever, I would love to hear everyone’s favourite Davis Cup memory.
— Sam Groth OLY (@SamGrothTennis) August 17, 2018
— AmelieMauresmo (@AmeMauresmo) August 17, 2018
I always played tennis because it is my passion. Yes many players can make a good living from it. So do I. However it is not the reason why I started. It has always been an honour to represent my country but now a beautiful event only became about money.
— Robin Haase (@robin_haase) August 16, 2018
@ITF_Tennis You guys are a shame for tennis …😶 Let’s enjoy our last davis cup year and lets try to keep it home.. 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
— Lucas Pouille (@la_pouille) August 16, 2018
😢😢
— Julien Benneteau (@julienbenneteau) August 16, 2018
No words to describe how sad I am. This is the end of an institution that has driven so much emotions to tennis players and tennis fans around the world. Business once again takes over the history and the values of sport. Thank you @daviscup for all what you gave me! #tennis 😓
— Fabrice Santoro (@fabsantoro72) August 16, 2018
Please @DavisCup🤕it's never too late…let's make some change needed ok, but do not destroy yourself…you give some indefinable emotions to the players, to the crowds… especially with the ties home/away…lets make the young kids dreams about it 🙌🏻🙌🏻 🎾❤️ #savedaviscup
— Paul Henri Mathieu (@PHMofficiel) August 15, 2018
Même Cincinnati pleure cette décision ridicule de @ITF_Tennis Les 12 voix de la FFT ont fait très mal.Décision très difficile à assumer en tant que français…La CD est morte et une partie de l’histoire de notre sport envolée pour une poignée de dollars. #decudenoselus #politique pic.twitter.com/UfsfRuKhAd
— Nico Mahut (@nmahut) August 16, 2018
Crying over two tragic deaths today. Aretha Franklin and @DavisCup …. RIP 🙏
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) August 16, 2018
One of my biggest dream as a kid was to one day play a Davis Cup final in front of my home crowd. Sadly I’ll never have the chance to experience Davis cup like I grew up watching it😢 I still hoped tradition and history would win over money, but I guess that’s where we are now..
— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) August 16, 2018
India never won the event during my time or for that matter played in the world Group long enough for anyone to care but I can confidently say regardless of what I have won in my career… https://t.co/G3aBICmqlE
— Mahesh Bhupathi (@Maheshbhupathi) August 17, 2018
Haven’t met one person who was for the @DavisCup changes. A bit like brexit. #moneymoneymoney
— Marcus Willis (@Willbomb90) August 16, 2018
Anyone miss the old @DavisCup format?!! 🙋🏻♂️
— Ken Skupski (@k_skupski) August 16, 2018
Very disappointing to hear that the new Davis Cup proposal was passed today. Yes the Davis Cup needed some changes but this I don’t believe is the right formula. I will miss Home and Away ties and many more aspects of the Davis Cup.
— Greg Rusedski (@GregRusedski1) August 16, 2018
Loss of words about the decision today….#DavisCup
— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) August 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/Nicolas_Kiefer/status/1030121540422119425
Disappointing read about @ITF_Tennis decision to change @DavisCup 😔
— Jonas Bjorkman (@BjorkmanTennis) August 17, 2018
The Davis Cup changes seem interesting, but it would’ve been cool if the players had some sort of say. The lack of voice afforded to players is pretty ridiculous.
— Tennys Sandgren (@TennysSandgren) August 16, 2018
Sad news and a disappointing out come for the Davis Cup and im assuming Fed Cup soon after. Home and away ties, representing your country in both areas, and playing for your teammates is what it’s all about. ITF is severely missing the point here.
— CoCo Vandeweghe (@CoCoVandey) August 16, 2018
bad, but something had to be done. just perhaps not this.
Well, it became a shell of its former self. The issue, of course, isn’t Davis Cup itself, it’s that the top players are completely jammed up all season long – I don’t see how tacking on yet ANOTHER thing at the end of the season is going to help.
They wanted to rip off soccer’s world cup format, but world cup is every FOUR years. Why does this new DC have to be every year? And at the already crowded end of season with players, ESPECIALLY the top players they want/need, exhausted? It’s the home/away format that generates fan interest, but I don’t think the ITF wants actual fans. They want TV revenue. It’s going to be like the plethora of American college bowl games at the end of season, where all you see is empty seats. Assuming TV will even be interested in this joke.
If the players want a voice and I think they should, they should all boycott. Hard to have a tournament when no one shows up. I’m guessing the ITF might listen then.
I totally agree with Anonymous. If nobody will accept to play, this will not happen. Let’s not cry about it, instead ACT ( or in this case not show up)
Stupid stupid stupid
Playing in the Davis Cup ties held the week following the grand slam tournaments has always been a problem for Rafa. I remember that most of his fans commenting on the Tennistalk & Grandstand have always wanted him to withdraw from the Davis Cup. Rafa himself has critisized the Davis Cup schedule.
So, I support Rafa’s opinion:
¤¤ Nadal was cautiously positive about the changes, though he said he would like the location of the event to be varied.
“It is a good initiative that can work,” Nadal said at Acapulco. “It is obvious that when something does not work perfectly, you have to look for new solutions, and this has been going on for a number of years.” ¤¤
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2018/03/players-react-itfs-proposal-revamp-davis-cup-competition/72540/
It’s nice reading a whole paragraph written by Augusta which is doesn’t refer to Fed/propaganda/fedfans. Keep it up lady.
(or armchair doctors)
Come on, forgive and forget :))
It was just a joke Eugene. By anonymous, not me.
That said, I’ve tried but it’ll never happen. I have nothing to forgive.
Eugene AT 8:42 AM and multiple versions of Hawk,
So far, I haven’t noticed any connection between the Davic Cup reform and the persons you mentioned.
—–
But Gerard Pique, a Spanish pro footballer who plays for Barcelona and is the head of the Davis Cup reform project, is “somehow” connected to Rafa. G.Pique is Shakira’s life partner (the couple have two kids). Rafa appeared in Shakira’s music video in 2010 (before she began a relationship with Pique). Just saying. 🙂
http://www.marca.com/en/more-sports/2018/02/27/5a951437468aeb473f8b460c.html
I know Pique, because I watch football as well, actually before even falling in love with tennis.
But I don’t understand why he’s given so much power of decision over a sport he never played. The World Cup of Tennis sounds just as silly as his performance in Russia this summer.
phenomenal question
Eugene AT 1:39 PM
I don’t know the answer.
PIQUE IS a MEMBER OF QAnon.
#17